According to a news report in The Times of India on July 12, 2016 at least three youths from Kerala are suspected to have joined the Islamic State (IS). In a voice message to his family, one of the youths said that they had reached ‘Dar al-Islam’ from ‘Dar al-Kufr’, meaning that they gone to the land of Islam from the land of disbelievers.
The terms ‘Dar al-Kufr’ (Land of Disbelievers) and ‘Dar al-Islam’ (Land of Islam) are not Islamic terms: both are bidah, or innovation. These terms were invented in the later history of Islam by certain jurists. The Prophet of Islam and his Companions never used such phrases to refer to people or places.
This kind of terminology promotes the ‘we and they’ concept, which leads to hatred and other evils. Islam believes in the human family concept. Islam is a peaceful mission, one that cannot afford to foster a separatist thinking in its followers.
If a person reads the Quran from the beginning to the end, he will find that it repeatedly uses this form of address: ‘O people’ or ‘O mankind’. According to this, the whole world is ‘Dar al-Insan’ or the land of human beings. When the Prophet of Islam was in Madinah, nearly half of the population of the city consisted of Jews. Once when he was in Madinah, the Prophet stood up in respect of a Jew’s funeral procession. When one of his Companions indicated to him that the person was a Jew and not a Muslim, the Prophet replied: “Was he not a human being?”
Islam is a peaceful mission, one that cannot afford to foster a separatist thinking in its followers.
The Prophet of Islam began his mission in 610 CE in Makkah. At that time, the overwhelming majority of the citizens there were polytheists. Thus the Makkah of that time, according to the above terminology, was a ‘land of disbelievers’, however, the Prophet never referred to ancient Makkah as ‘Dar al-Kufr’. When the Prophet migrated to Madinah, the majority of its inhabitants embraced Islam, making the city a ‘land of Islam’. But the Prophet never called Madinah ‘Dar al-Islam’. Such terms are undoubtedly an innovation in Islam. According to a tradition of the Prophet, ‘One who innovates something in our religion which is not part of it, then that will be rejected.’ (Bukhari)
If the world is considered ‘Dar al-Insan’, Land of human beings then there will be normal relations between all people. On the contrary, if we use the words ‘Dar al-Kufr’ or ‘Dar al-Islam’, then separatist tendencies will find place: people would consider a particular area as theirs and an area that does not belong to them as that of others. This will breed separatism and intolerance, which may sometimes even culminate into violence.
Islam is a mission of Tawhid (Monotheism). It is the duty of Muslims to peacefully convey to people the message of God. Such a mission can be successful only in an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood. The cause of this mission can be furthered only when there is social harmony, and peace. Social disharmony can only serve to jeopardize the mission of conveying the message. This is why it is obligatory for Muslims to unilaterally maintain social harmony at all costs.
According to Islam, a person should consider one’s country of birth as one’s homeland.
To call a country ‘Dar al-Kufr’ and to settle in another country believing that it is ‘Dar al-Islam’ is quite against the spirit of Islam. According to Islam, a person should consider one’s country of birth as one’s homeland. One should have love in one’s heart for the land where one was born and raised. Also, one must be friendly in one’s behaviour towards all the people. This is the true spirit of Islam.
